HATS AND THE GAMERS WHO LOVE THEM

 

A pickelhaube never fails to make a point.

  

In order clear the face of this blog from the drear business of the previous post, I thought I'd put up another on something that has been much on my mind: hats (see what I did there?...never mind).  Over the years--baseball caps aside--I've noted the interesting headgear donned by gamers at conventions.  Naturally, I soon found myself collecting snaps of them, albeit not very systematically (the former because I'm easily amused and the latter because I'm easily distracted--as is self-evident in this post).  To analyze this heady subject, I have divided hats into four categories, Themed Hats, Style Hats, Fezzes, and Other Hats, and compiled a visual essay, which now follows...

 

1. THEMED HATS

 Hats tied to a game or game or game experience...

The sharp eyed observer will note a "style" choice being worn at the table.

A pithy youngster.

Kamerade!

VC in the wire!

Reds!

Beautiful plumage...plucked from the Norwegian Blue parrot species, no doubt.  

They go together: coffee and cream, love and marriage, and three cornered hats and pirates.

Research shows that the vikings did not have horned helmets--so sad for them!

March or die!

2. STYLE HATS

 Hats unrelated to gaming; in other words, hats that seem to be part of the subject person's every day ensemble--whether a good or bad style choice is beyond the scope of this study...

A derby to run a Flames of War derby.

'Cause you never know when you might be invited to go fishing with a Greek.

Stylish and practical.

 

3. FEZZES 

 A unique category unto itself--for reasons unto itself...

Bonus kepi in the foreground.

Probably goes with the vest.

A fez for fez sake...

"Fezzing" up: specimens from the Meanderer's very own private collection.

 

4. OTHER HATS

Hats that don't fit (figuratively speaking): justified by some unclear or confusing mix of the above categories, or by some unknown--possibly more disturbing--criteria...

Thinking cap?

Handy for the harvest, too.

Probably not a "Style" choice...probably.

Everything is more merry with a glengarry!

That Greek fisherman we were looking for earlier?

 

Well, I have nothing further to add to this, my latest important contribution to the hobby. I hope, dear reader, that you will use the information gleaned wisely. 

  

Excelsior!

BLOG HACKED?

 Hello, all,

This is just a quick note to inform readers that I discovered that several of my content pages have apparently been hacked (Dubious Designs, Nine Years War Resources and Scenarios, and Colonial Gaming).  I won't include hyperlinks to them because I don't want to direct anyone to them (they have been replaced by other pages with advertising malware on them--the latter I am informed by my web browser security).

 At this point, I don't know if this is just the start and whether or not this will spread to the rest of my blog.  If so, I'll have to just shut the blog down (I don't have the energy to start over or redo what's lost).  

I hope that won't be the case, but if so, I just wanted to get in a post to explain and to say thanks to everyone who has been part of this experience.

Best,

Ed M

PASS IN REVIEW: RUSSIAN RTW ARMY

Russian Army of the Russo Turkish War Era on Parade

 

Once again, life has intruded on art, as reflected in the absence of blogging activity here (only one post in November!). Hoping to get back into a more regular pattern again, here is the overdue parade of my completed Russian Army.  This post represents closure on this major project, which began in April, and as such also marks the moment to move forward again into other subject matter.  But enough of these meta-ruminations. On to the parade. In this study, you will find links to the collective posts that made up this project (and as usual, you may clix pix for BIG PIX for the eye candy):

The entire force as seen from the Tsar's raised viewing platform (cue appropriate Imperial Russian martial music ). The artillery park and command take pride of place at the head of the formation.

Looking over the head of the Guard Cossacks, the serried ranks of the regular Infantry contingent, the backbone of any Russian Army: nine line battalions plus two rifle battalions.  

The Russian Guard and Bulgarian Legion enhance the infantry.

Two battalions of blue-jacketed dismounted cossacks provide auxilliary infantry support.

Two cavalry divisions, each consisting of a hussar, an uhlan, a dragoon, and a cossack regiment, plus horse artillery, march on the wings.  The top-pictured cavalry division is led by the cossack general, a conversion and the first figure completed in the project.

For anyone who might be keeping track, this is a much larger set of figures than would be needed for the Chocolate Box Wars project (still a work in progress: the less said about that the better...).  As a matter of fact, this collection violates the entire principle of that small figure count project--except for the truism that there really is no such thing as having "too many" figures. This force does, however, provide a good size for my 19th Century Volley and Bayonet Variant, which I also had in mind.  In the end, I must say that this project grew in the doing, in no small part because of the immersion in research that each stage involved (sort of like Tolkien's description of how his tale started as a philological exercise and then "grew in the telling").  At any rate, the project is now ready for the table, and I hope that my record of its production in this blog has provided some useful information for others who may be interested in the period--and if not, at least a diversion for those who may just like to look at pictures of toy soldiers. I would count either as a success.

 

Excelsior!